Dado Panel

Unknown

10th century · Stucco; carved, with some cast plaster elements · Islamic Art

The original placement of this unique carved stucco panel is uncertain, although its shape and size suggests that it adorned a dado, or the lower half of a wall. It was found in fragmentary form on the floor of a courtyard excavated in the mound known as Sabz Pushan (the Green Covered) at Nishapur, having crumbled from a nearby wall centuries before. In addition to its richly carved decoration of a three-lobed niche, this panel once had bright colors. Traces of yellow pigment were found on the un-carved band that frames the main scene. Other carved and painted ornamental panels were found in the rooms surrounding the courtyard where this piece was found, speaking to the building’s rich architectural ornament.

Artist

Unknown

Date

10th century

Medium

Stucco; carved, with some cast plaster elements

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1940